Secrets in the shed

At the end of quiet street in the London suburb of Penge is an unremarkable terraced house. Unremarkable, that is, except for the shed at the end of the garden. The green paint has long fainted. The window boarded up. An old hoe leans against the door. 

But that shed holds an amazing secret.

For it was in this shed that a near-sighted postman and hobbyist produced, directed and starred in Britain's first science fiction film of the 1920s. Without any formal training, Ernest Cuttle was driven by a passion for cinema, Airfix kits and the pulp books he read as a young chap such as Amazing Stories. The shed was also a place of safety away from Mrs Cuttle who suffered from mental problems. 

Ernest was undaunted by the challenge of limited resources and modest weekly pay packet. An early pioneer of recycling, he made use of everything from Zeppelin bomb shell cases to Heinz baked beans cans and empty bottles of Thawpit - 'Gives fresh life to your clothes!'- stain remover. In just under seven months, Ernest and his neighbours had put together a forty-seven minute science-fiction film packed with special effects, a lunar landscape and aliens. Much of the action was filmed on location in the Crystal Palace park, a tram ride from the Cuttle house.

Crystal Palace vs. the Spaceships was released in 1923. Audience reaction throughout Penge, Anerley and Crystal Palace was very positive indeed. Many members of the audience knew Ernest personally and even had small parts in the film.

For many weeks after Crystal Palace vs. the Spaceships was shown, local people often visited the shed. Ernest gave impromptu tours and gaily revealed the secrets behind his spaceships, alien costume and the ray gun. 

                 

Sadly, Ernest was unable to build on his cinematic success. He died on 5 March 1924 in Lewisham Hospital after complications from an operation on his anal fissure. Ernest's last words were, "It's a wrap!" 

Ethel remarried six months later to Percy Cruncher from Lower Norwood. A much younger man who also had mental problems. 

Ernest and his chums on set, Penge 1923

Ernest puts the finishing touches to a Zargon spaceship